Naiya
Naiya is a PC played by Korii in the Eyrion D&D campaign. Currently, she is a level 7 Barbarian and a level 4 Frenzied Berserker. She enjoys fighting and breaking all the things. All of them. 'Vital Statistics' Name: Naiya (Auvrea is her surname, but she's long forgotten it) Race: Elf Class: Barbarian Prestige Class: Frenzied Berkserker Gender: Female Age: 100 Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Deity: Kord Height: 5'0" Weight: 101 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Green Appearance: Naiya is built like most other elves. She's petite and wiry, and she moves with a sense of effortless grace despite the ruthlessness of her class and the bluntness of her personality. Despite long periods spent outside, she stll somehow manages to remain pale (hooray for being an elf). Personality: Emotionally immature, prone to anger, uneducated, loves a good fight, aggressive, strong, playful, resiliant, occasionally curious, a touch hedonistic. Outside of battle, she often ends up making herself look stupid (she asks questions when she isn't familiar with something, which is often) and has a tendency to encourage less-than-intelligent behavior in others or partake in it herself for shits and giggles. In battle, however, she commands a presence that's difficult to deny... as long as she channels her anger effectively and doesn't let it turn into frustration that undercuts her very ability to fight. Religious Ideals: Naiya isn't especially religious (and has an active disdain for traditionally elven gods). The player still needs to talk to the great and wonderful GM about setting up a tribal god/pantheon, which would be the god(s) to whom she gives lip service. History 'Early Life' For the first thirty years of her life, Naiya lived like many other elven children do. She was born to loving parents in a small elven village hidden in the woodlands of Eyrion. While she did seem to have a bit of a temper and a tendency to be rough in her play, these were qualities that could be worked on through socialization and harnessed toward, perhaps, a future as a hunter or ranger. She was the only child in her immediate family and was dutifully raised not only by her parents but also by extended family throughout the village. Considering the insular nature of elves and the cooperative culture of the village, that included pretty much everyone--related by blood or otherwise. This idyllic childhood was cut short by an attack on the village that left everyone dead--except for Naiya, who had miraculously survived after being stashed into the inside the trunk of a hollow tree by her hunter father. The circumstances of the attack were unclear to its sole survivor, who wandered the wreckage of fire and carnage after it was over until she found the corpse of her mother, where she curled up and intended to remain indefinitely. 'The Barbarian Tribe' A few days after the attack, a nomadic barbarian tribe came across the destroyed village and began sifting through the remains for anything worth selling or using themselves. One of the tribesmen came across Naiya, who clung protectively to her mother's body and screamed at him (in childish Elven) not to come closer or do anything to her. He couldn't understand the chlid's language, but he realized that she had been through a great horror... and had survived. Surely, her survival was a sign from the gods of their tribe that she was worthy of becoming one of them despite her strange appearance. The fact that her first reaction to a stranger's approach was to stand her ground and not flee or cower in fear cemented it. It took a few hours of coaxing, but the tribesman finally convinced Naiya that he had no intentions of hurting her. Speaking in Common, he told her that her mother was no longer there and that she would be better off traveling with the tribe instead of dying here. With that, he pulled the child away; the decision to leave was not Naiya's to make. In the years that followed, Naiya proved to be remarkably resiliant. While there were still several times that she cried for her mother or withdrew from the tribe in pained silence or exploded in frustrated rage at her fate, the force of her personality and the good will of the tribal leaders allowed her to come back out of her shell and find a purpose to her life. She was drawn to the sword almost immediately, even trying to take up the blade when she was far too young (and small) to do so. After an injury, the leaders suggested that she take out her fighting spirit (and anger, which only seemed to blossom further with age) out on smaller animals with knives and daggers. The tribe treated her as both outsider and novelty, as if she was a prize awarded to them by the gods that they were unsure how to properly be grateful for but also did not want to discard for fear of offense. It didn't help that she aged so much more slowly than the humans in the tribe; by the time she was allowed to begin formal martial training, twenty five years had passed. To the members of the tribe, Naiya seemed like a perpetual child. As time passed and the generation who had taken Naiya in grew older and began to die off, younger generations of warrior-upstarts who had never known a tribe without Naiya began to come of age. Many of them treated her with a detached respect for her status as the tribal novelty or with detatched disdain toward her physiological difference and sometimes-special treatment, both of which Naiya dealt with just fine; the former was welcomed and the latter ignored. However, there were those among the tribe that began to actively resent her. One such individual, Aregarr, chose Naiya to be his partner at the end of his coming-of-age ritual, which consisted of survival trials in the woods and ended with a person losing his virginity to the person of his choice. While the rite was open to women (Naiya herself was working toward that goal), it was widely considered to be an avenue to manhood. Treating the rite as duty--how else would he become a man, a status that was so highly desired by many of the youths of the tribe?--Naiya did not hesitate when she agreed to lie with him after he survived the woods. It hurt. He made sure of it. Two other men chose Naiya for their coming of age afterward: one simply because he could and the other because he found her pretty. Neither experience was as miserable as the first, but they weren't very enjoyable, either. It wasn't until Naiya was 85 years old and passed her own ritual--surviving alone in the woods and killing a bear as proof--that she was allowed to live fully on her terms. Her newfound status as a 'man' (albeit a female, elven one) made her off-limits for intimate contact she didn't want, and she could fight as a full-fledged warrior as much as she liked. For the next five years, her life was practically perfect--even as resentment toward her simmered further just beyond her perception. 'Elven Armistice / Time with the Elves' When Naiya was roughly 90 years old, the tribe came into violent contact with an elven clan in the deep woods. Once the elves realized that the barbarian tribe had an elf among their ranks, they immediately cried foul and demanded "the elven maiden's immediate return to her cultural brethren." In return, they would cease fire long enough for the barbarian tribe to pass through (and sully some other part of the forest with their presence). Aregarr, who had by that point ascended into tribal leadership and saw the opportunity to discard the tribe's pet elf, quickly agreed to the elve's terms. By that time, Naiya had been with the tribe for sixty years; her status as a gift from the gods had faded enough in the tribe's public memory that there were few protests. Naiya was furious, calling the tribe a group cowards for avoiding a battle that they could have won. The decision was once again made for her, however, and she had little choice but the follow the elves back to their community. The elves treated Naiya as a charity case at best and a diseased disgrace at worst--especially as they realized that she barely spoke Elven, couldn't read or write, fought with brute stength and anger instead of finesse, and casually spoke of atrocities that she had committed or been forced into in the name of tribal 'culture'. A few elves went about trying to fix and re-educate her in Elven history and culture, the arts, proper combat techniques, and so on. While these lessons were given out of genuine concern and pity for their elven brethren that had been pulled so far astray, the patronizing overtones of xenophobic disapproval were impossible to ignore. Naiya resented every minute of it. Not only had she been abandoned by the group with whom she felt the most affinity, but she failed to find any camaraderie at all with her racial peers. After six years of putting up with their hell, Naiya packed up her things in the middle of the night and left. 'Leaving the Elves / Mercenary Work' The following four years weren't terrible. Naiya was a capable enough warrior that she could find mercenary work as she pleased. It wasn't quite the same as the exhilaration she felt with the tribe, and it was often lonely, but it was definitely passable. She got to fight as she pleased again, and if she wanted company--social or prurient--there were plenty of taverns where she could find temporary companionship. It wasn't the most ideal life, but it was a life. More importantly, it was a life'' on ''her terms; she made her own decisions on where she went and what she did. If nothing else, that was a welcome change. 'Joining the Party' In her travels, Naiya decided to answer the call of a woman looking for her two children who had gone missing a month prior while off adventuring. Five other adventurers showed up for the job: a wizard, a rogue, a dwarven cleric of Moradin, a monk from the Kaikal School of Martial Arts, and a warlock. The six of them worked together for the rescue mission, although it ultimately became a recovery mission; both children came back as corpses. Under normal circumstances, in Naiya's experience, the party would have then bid each other good luck and went their separate ways after the job was completed. That wasn't what happened. The party didn't gel together immediately, but during their time in the caves the group was whisked elsewhere to help save Helmut Staufen from his family. The mysterious adventure turned out to be a bonding experience between the six of them, since they had all united for one singular goal and actively cooperated to meet it. Between their time with the Staufens and the tavern-going that followed the bitter way their first quest ended, the team solidified to the point where separating seemed less and less likely. The party remained a unit, seeking out opportunities and adventures that could be undertaken as a group of six rather than going six separate ways. Naiya was strangely okay with that. 'Uncomfortable Memories' One such adventure opportunity involved tracking and apprehending a dread necromancer, Eliseo, in order to rescue a youth who had been kidnapped in retaliation to Naiya picking a barfight with his men. After the party defeated Eliseo, Aknier's drawing of a symbol found on the dread necromancer's clothes caught Naiya's attention. It was the same symbol that she remembered seeing during the destruction of her home village, something that she hadn't thought about in decades. That, coupled with confused feelings toward Aknier and the party's disapproval after she killed a previous enemy out of rage, sent her reeling.'' Further investigation caused the party to learn that the symbol is tied to a cult, and the cult is on the move. Naiya didn't need any further provocation; she vowed to track them to the ends of the world if she had to. 'Moving Northward / Death' A lead on the cult took the party north. The search so far failed to net the party anything beyond side quests, false starts, vague hints, indications that the cult is still several steps ahead of them, a visit to Ascha's hometown, and involvement in a convoluted plot by a man to save his daughter (which was tied to another man's plot to destroy the world). Through much of the journey, Naiya was moody and bullheaded; the multitude of distractions meant that the cult was pulling ever further away, which was intolerable to her. She had forgone this vengeance for seventy years. She was not willing to wait much longer. At the very least, she owed her family that much. Pursuing Gilean (which Naiya eventually fully agreed to, given the potentially catastrophic effects of his actions) turned out to be a difficult and risky endeavor. Naiya was fatally wounded while fighting a pack of trolls and was unable to defend herself when one of them essentially tore her apart for meat. The death was painful, but it was fairly quick. The young elf didn't stand a chance. Darkness followed. Naiya awoke in a cave that opened up into a meadow. There, she met Lylore, a flippant low-level deity who basically acted as her keeper while she remained in limbo before moving either back to the living or to where the dead permanently rest. Lylore allowed her a meeting with her parents, who she hadn't seen since they were killed all that time ago. The reunion was bittersweet, allowing Naiya to find closure and approval. Her parents were proud of her, despite everything, and that meant the world. When the time for their meeting came to a close, Naiya--unwilling to let her parents simply slip away again--challenged Lylore to a fight. She had no chance of winning against the deity, but Lylore was impressed by her resolve and skill. He went to plead her case (as far as she is aware, anyhow), and Naiya was rewarded with more time with her family as a result. Recently, Gilean has resurrected Naiya by calling on the power of a deity similar to Lylore. 'Timeline (Summary) *0 years old: **Born to nice parents in an elven village. *30 years old: **Village (and entire elven community) is slaughtered by unknown attackers. Naiya is the sole survivor. **Passing barbarian tribe finds the carnage and loots it. They also find Naiya and take her in. *55 years old: **Formal training as a barbarian warrior begins. *75 years old: **First (unpleasant) brush with adulthood. *85 years old: **Passes her ‘manhood ceremony’ and is considered both a full adult and full warrior within the tribe. *90 years old: **Given to an elven clan in exchange for safe passage by the tribe through the elven territory. **'Re-education' into elven lifestyle and culture commences. *96 years old: **Leaves the elven clan due to personal frustration, disillusionment with her own race. **Begins working odd mercenary/adventuring jobs. *100 years old: **Answers petition posted by woman in search of her lost children. **Joins the party. Relationships With the Party : '''AKNIER: Naiya's relationship with Aknier started out complicated. They slept together a couple of times now (and shared an awkward kiss) under the justification of expanding the wizard's very limited world experience. They've also had a few heart-to-heart conversations that have left Naiya walking away feeling flushed and confused and sometimes oddly giddy. After reacting strongly to his nearly-dying as a result of an enemy wizard's spell, she began to realize that her feelings might go beyond simply friendship. She finally got up the nerve to actually talk to him about it after much hemming and hawing, at which point she learned that the feelings were reciprocated. They've been together since--really, each is the closest thing to family that the other has. : Aside from the obvious romantic attachments, she really does like Aknier. He respects her despite being much smarter than her, he puts up with her teasing and badgering, he reaches out to her when she's hurting, and he treats her like a person worth having around. After most of a lifetime of merely being tolerated at best, it's a welcome change. : ASCHA: Even after traveling together for a little while now, Naiya's not always sure what to make of Ascha. The warlock has little patience for the party's shenanigans and often stands off to the side, linefacing. Naiya assumes that this means Ascha is judging them. The warlock could learn to loosen up and have some fun once in awhile instead of looking down her nose at everyone. Still, if push comes to shove, Ascha is a member of the group, and recently Naiya's seen more of Ascha's personal life and motivations. They don't necessarily see eye-to-eye, but Naiya finds herself caring about Ascha's well-being and would protect her if the need arose. : HELMUT: Until very recently, Naiya's interaction with the Holy Warrior consisted only of the dream campaign in which the party saved him from his family's evil deeds. Naiya likes his friendly demeanor and how he carries himself for reasons very similar to why she likes Aknier; he treats her like a person worth knowing. She thinks it's kind of pathetic that he keeps needing to be saved, but there's still something likeable about him that makes the needing-rescuing thing tolerable--it also helps that Helmut has grown into his own and hasn't needed any sort of huge assistance recently. There's also the unspoken understanding (at least on her end) that they both have been hurt and have lost family to the cult the party is tracking. Even if the subject hasn't really come up between them, it's a call to arms they both share. : [[Kraven Diamondshield|'KRAVEN']]: Aside from possibly Aknier, Kraven is Naiya's favorite person in the party. He was the first to fully accept her as she is, and his random behavior is a source of never ending entertainment; if she wants to do something for the hell of it, she knows he's in (and vice versa). Kraven has also shown remarkable caring and tact toward her, trying to talk her down from rageful fits, trying to make her understand where the rest of the party is coming from when they think she's wrong, and admitting when she's right. He's her dwarfbro, in every sense of the title. : LYN: Naiya and Lyn have a tumultuous relationship that can be best described as one between rivalling siblings. He doesn't hesitate to call her on any stupidity, hypocrisy, or unfairness. She, in turn, has no problems getting extremely angry with him over his treatment of her or when things go awry over a missed trap on the job. When her anger goes too far, he becomes wounded and lashes out at her, causing Naiya to become confused (why's he so upset, she's over it) and defensive toward him. Rinse and repeat. Despite this cycle of fighting and missing the other's meaning, however, she does hold the kid in pretty high esteem. She realizes that he's the one taking the biggest risks for the party outside of combat, and she does appreciate that he's usually damn good at keeping traps from tearing them apart. There's a reason she usually remains only one step behind him--she's got his back and can take the hits he can't. Even if he's a shit about it sometimes. And even if she's not being especially kind about the support. : THEROIAN: At first, there wasn't much love between Naiya and Theroian. He dismissed her as an idiot and she dismissed him as an ass. However, as time went on and they got to know each other better--and got to drinking together--the two realized that they actually see eye to eye on some things. Specifically, they're both fighters at heart and take that identity seriously, even if they each approach that identity with different frames of mind and sets of principles. The two often stand off to the side while the thinkers of the party (i.e., Aknier and Lyn) solve puzzles, sparring or goofing off with the loot that they find. All said, Naiya really likes and respects Theroian a great deal. : With NPCs : AREGARR: Naiya has a great deal of resentment toward Aregarr, and not without good reason. He was the cause of a lot of pain for her, even if she didn't really realize it at the time. Ten years away from the tribe have allowed her to think things over and realize that his motives in much of his behavior toward her were intentionally hurtful. Considering Naiya's issues with anger, this means that she's slowly come to hate him more and more over the course of time--an anger that's not helped by the fact that she has no way to get at him now. : HELLA JEFF: Naiya likes Kraven's pink pony, although she thinks it's stupid that it's not sturdy enough to ride. Hella Jeff is obviously very important to Kraven, and since Naiya cares about the dwarf, she cares about the pony as well. : KRAVEN'S BEARD: Kraven's beard is a thing of wonder. Naiya wonders how Kraven manages to store everything in there. : MEEPO: Naiya found Meepo irritating when he was with the party, given his cowardice and griping and carelessly-thrown insults. Still, he stayed out of her way, so she mostly ignored him (and teased Lyn about the budding friendship that formed between him and the small kobold). : BONES: At first, Naiya was certain that Bones was playing mind games with Lyn when she mentioned knowing his father. When that proved not to be the case, her opinion of the half-elf ranger greatly improved. Bones is a formidable fighter and nearly took Naiya out with her bow and arrow--something Naiya has nothing but respect for. The fact that she then turned around and offered the party her assistance made Naiya's approval go up even further. : RASHA: Naiya finds him cute and a little hapless, although she does acknowledge that he has a lot on his shoulders. She likes the kid and had no problems offering to help him out when it became clear that thugs were making his life more difficult than it needed to be. When he was taken instead of her in the middle of the night, she felt honestly guilty--and set out with the others to do him right by rescuing him. In the aftermath of battles with both Marcus and Eliseo, Rasha has show Naiya a great deal of consideration and understanding, which she finds strange... but not unwelcome. : ELISEO: Seeing who Eliseo serves (or seems to serve) brought up a ton of painful memories for Naiya. Between that and watching him murder a teammate for his own ends--something Naiya finds repugnant, although she can't properly express why she feels that way--Naiya distaste for the man runs strong. Worse, she hasn't been able to get any answers out of him. Who does he work for? What is he doing? Who killed her family? : External Links *Naiya's character sheet on Obsidian Portal (no longer kept up) *Naiya's character sheet on the Tangled Web (up to date) *Log of Naiya's afterlife encounter with Lylore and her parents : : Category:Characters Category:PC